Pushing Stereotypes and Living Life

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well and having a fabulous summer.

We have been on holidays for the last couple of weeks and have really been relaxing and just spending lots of time with the kids. It has been a welcome break from the 4 a.m alarm. We didn’t go anywhere fancy this summer but enjoyed a staycation this year, it has been nice.

While enjoying our staycation this summer it has reminded me of some of the things that I love to do that so many people think are not possible if you are blind or partially sighted. I never like to conform to stereotypes so I thought I would share them with you. I think when we hear blind or partially sighted we right away go to the fear of the unknown, and focus on the things that we assume one would not be able to do with vision loss. However with determination and creativity usually there is a way to do most things that one would want to do.

One of the things that I really enjoy and it is my favourite relaxing activity is crocheting. I am not overly good at it and I do not make any fancy creations I stick to squares and rectangles. I love to make cozy blankets, scarfs and my specialty dish cloths. I will have dishcloths for the rest of eternity. I love to sit on the couch and watch TV or a good movie and give my hands something to do. That is the nice thing about being blind I don’t have to look at the TV to watch it and I don’t have to look at my hands to crochet. There truly are perks like reading in total darkness !!

I have always liked baking and that is definitely still something that I love to do, it is something that brings me joy and makes me feel connected to my dad. But I also really enjoy canning and making pickles, or pickled beans and carrots. I enjoy my time in the kitchen preparing meals for my family, and friends. There are many times when people ask if my husband does all the cooking and well that just would not work for me, I enjoy it too much.

I really enjoy make up and fashion, a good day of shopping with my friends or my husband is always a good time for me. I like to try out new make up trends and see what I can make work. Just because I can’t see myself in the mirror does not mean that I don’t want to look nice or care about my appearance. I also have my husband paint my nails I feel much better when my nails and toes are painted and looking nice. Who am I kidding I love any kind of pampering. When I am shopping for clothes the only thing I need to take into consideration is dog hair, man does Rick (my guide dog) shed.

Social Media, I like to take part in Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, I enjoy social media and how it has made it possible to educate society on the abilities of those living with a disability from my living room. Advocating has taken a whole new role and I love being a part of it and using social media to propel change. From publishing my blog posts and posting super cute instagram photos, following the latest hashtags and showing the world my life, and what it truly is like to live life as a person who is blind.

We have talked on my blog before about how I love to snowboard, and this is a given. I also enjoy other sports like swimming, I am very comfortable and in my element in the water. I like to hike and ride a bike, and a good game of golf is definitely right up my alley. I love so many things that one does not typically think that osmoenoe with vision loss likes to do.

There are so many things a person who is blind or partially sighted likes to do, that we only briefly consider our vision loss before we dive in. We are all multi faceted people with varying interestes and skills. The more we push the stereotypes that are out there the more our abilities will shine through.